The launchpad floated twenty kilometers out on the Pacific Ocean. The viewing platform, about half a kilometer away, rose and fell with a gentle swell. Clouds covered the sky in flat gray-white. A steady breeze kept them cool in spite of the morning’s humidity and carried the occasional spray of seawater as it splashed against the platform walls. Towers, hives, and hills studded the distant coastline.

The rocket stood at the center of a massive cement square. Steel gantries held its sides. Welga waited at the back of the line of passengers, who climbed one at a time up a ladder to an open hatch. A droning sound caught her attention. She hadn’t seen anyone launch microcams for the occasion… besides which, these people shouldn’t be able to access the emergency constellations except for launch communications. Other heads turned as the noise gained in volume. Two dark spots in the sky moved toward them from the coastline.

“Helicopters?” asked someone in the line.

“News reporters, maybe,” said another voice.

“Jets,” Welga whispered.

Seconds later, her suspicion proved right as the massive fighters tore overhead with a roar. A couple of passengers cried out and ducked.

They aren’t here to protect us.

Petra ran over to Welga. “What the hell is going on? I thought you said we could launch!”

Welga drew the woman away from the crowd. “Did you give them the code?”

“Yes. They said it’s not valid anymore. The authorization has been—”

The jets flew by again, drowning out her final word.

“If we don’t launch in the next thirty minutes,” Petra yelled, “we’ll miss the window.”

Welga motioned her over to a skiff. “I’m going to move away from the noise and see if I can reach my friends in DC. Okay?”

When Petra nodded, Welga jumped into the small boat and dropped her bags beside her. Petra loosed the moorings and tossed them in. Welga motored away, far enough to escape the worst of the roar, and then pulled the radio from her bag.

“Olafson, what the fuck is going on? Why are we getting buzzed?”

“Ramírez, thank God! I was hoping you’d call. Abort the launch! The commander in chief refuses to authorize it. The White House has been back and forth with the director all day, but she can’t convince them. They think that if they let your rocket go, they’ll lose the leverage to force other countries to comply with the embargo, especially China and India, who are the main suppliers. They want China and India to share their intel about the Machinehood before allowing any launches to Eko-Yi from US soil.”

“They don’t have any intel. They keep killing the operatives! Christ! You can’t do this to me again. You said things had changed. You swore!”

“I know. We tried everything. I’m sorry, Ramírez, I really am.”